Toona sinensis
(A. Juss.) M. Roem.
Chinese cedar
(c) cpumerci, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by cpumerci
(c) Andrew Conboy, some rights reserved (CC BY)
(c) Andrew Conboy, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves, Buds, Leaves - tea, Vegetable
Young shoots and leaves are cooked — a highly esteemed food in China said to resemble onions in flavour, usually prepared by boiling. The leaves are rich in vitamin A and contain approximately 6% protein, 1% fat, 6.6% carbohydrate, and 1.5% ash. They can also be used as a tea substitute. The fruit is edible, though no further details are recorded.
Where to Find It
A subtropical plant. It is native to China. It grows on mountains between 800 and 2,000 m altitude. It suits subtropical and temperate climates. It needs deep loamy-sandy soil. It suits a pH of 5.5-8 and does well on calcareous soils. It suits hardiness zones 6-11. In Yunnan. In Sichuan. National Arboretum Canberra.
Asia, Australia, Bhutan, Britain, China, Europe, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Inner Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Korea N, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tasmania, Thailand, Tibet, USA, Vietnam,
How to Identify
A deciduous tree. It grows 20-30 m tall. The trunk is 60-100 cm across. The trunk is straight with few branches. The leaves are 60 cm long. There are 10-24 leaflets along the stalks. The leaves have teeth along the edge. The leaflets are red-bronze when young and turn yellow before they fall. The flowers are cream and small. They have a scent. They occur in drooping panicles. These are 30 cm long. The fruit is a woody brown capsule. It is 3 cm long. There are several winged seeds.
Nutrition Score: 39/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves raw | 83.6 | 213 | 51 | 6 | — | — | 3.2 | — |
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seeds. Seeds need extensive cold treatment for 2-3 months. Then they are soaked in warm water for 24 hours before sowing. They are best grown in a nursery and then transplanted. They can be grown by root cuttings.
Propagation: Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed germinates better after 3 months of cold stratification. When large enough to handle, prick seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, with some protection from cold recommended during their first winter outdoors. Root cuttings 4–5cm long can be taken in December and potted up horizontally in a greenhouse.
Medicinal Uses
The bark is astringent, carminative, febrifuge, ophthalmic, and styptic. A decoction is used to treat diarrhoea, chronic dysentery, flatulence, bloody stools, seminal emissions, leucorrhoea, metrorrhagia, and gonorrhoea.
Other Uses
The wood is very durable, easily worked, and takes a good polish. It is a valuable timber resembling mahogany, used for furniture, window frames, and similar items. The wood is delicately scented and is burned in temples as incense.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Toona sinensis, commonly called Chinese mahogany, Chinese cedar, Chinese toon, beef and onion plant, or red toon (Chinese: 香椿; pinyin: xiāngchūn; Korean: 참죽, romanized: chamjuk; Hindi: डारलू, romanized: ḍāralū; Malay: suren; Vietnamese: hương xuân) is a species of Toona native to eastern and southeastern Asia, ranging from northern Korean peninsula through most of eastern, central, and southwestern China, in Nepal, northeastern India, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, and even present in Malaysia and western Indonesia.
Production
Trees grow quickly. Leaves are continually harvested.
Other Information
It is a cultivated food plant. It is sold in local markets.
Notes
There are 4 or 5 Toona species. They occur in Asia. Now Cedrela is an American genus and Toona is Asia and elsewhere. Chemical composition: Protein = 5.97%. Fat = 1.02%. Carbohydrate = 6.57%. Ash = 1.48%. Vitamin A = large quantities. Vitamin C = trace.
Names & Synonyms
Cedrela, Ch'amjuknamu, Chanchin, Chinese mahogany, Chinese toon, Chun Tsei Shue, Daaraluu, Fragrant chun, Fu mei rong, Gushi, Jimu, Main chen, Maiyoneng, Red toon, Suren, Surian tanam, Tong du, Tsaizime, Xianchun, Xiangchuan, Xuan su, Ye bu, Zong
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